After
by Burnt Magenta
Summary: Bulma and Vegeta chat after Buu. She throws things. Rated for language.


This is the first thing I've written in ages. Very much a stream-of-consciousness thing. Set the night of the day they defeat Buu, in the master bedroom of Capsule Corp.

- - -

After

- - -

She was sitting bolt upright in bed when he came out of the bathroom, her face tense and beautiful as she glared at him. 

"Ah," he said.

"You saved the world with style, so I've let you go 'til now. But you're not sleeping here tonight until you tell me in detail what the _fuck_ happened out there."

"Where?"

"You know where."

"The planet of the Kais?"

Bulma threw something at him. It turned out to be an earring, and it bounced off his considerable forehead without any effect. She didn't expect it to. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

"You appeared in the middle of the World Martial Arts Stadium and started killing people," she said quietly. "Am I ringing any bells?"

"Ah," he said again.

She threw the other earring at him. He caught it this time and started rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. "Do you remember my face?'

He saw a shiver in her eyes as she replied, "I'll never forget it."

"The M."

"Oh, that." Her eyes unfocused for a moment. "The M." Her eyes snapped back to him. "That was the same insignia that was on Majin Buu's belt."

He nodded, once.

She waited for him to elaborate, and scowled when he didn't. "So. That M is the Majin symbol. Babidi is – _was – _the Majin head honcho. So you entered briefly into Babidi's employ while we weren't watching, is that it?" She didn't wait for his answer. "What the hell, Vegeta?"

He just sat there, rolling her earring between his finger and thumb. 

"You killed people, Vegeta! For heaven's sake, you nearly killed _me_. Would you have even _cared?"_

"Yes," he growled softly. 

She slouched back for a second, mollified slightly. But she'd come too far and was too angry to consider backing down for long. 

"I don't believe you," she whispered. "I really don't. I thought that I'd house-trained you and fixed you up and then you go and kill people. That's…" she trailed off and her fists clenched as she looked for the words. "That's not good behaviour, you _bitch."_

She'd run out of earrings to throw, so she made good use of an aromatic candle she kept on her bedside table because Vegeta hated it sometimes. It sailed past him with over a foot to spare. She wailed in frustration and threw the dish it had been sitting on as well.

"I _hate _you. Why would you do that? You're not supposed to kill people."

"I wasn't myself?" he ventured.

"How?" she demanded.

"I was being mind-controlled by Babidi."

"Then why did you want to fight Goku? You always want to fight Goku. Babidi doesn't always want to fight Goku, I'm sure. You obviously retained enough presence of mind to beat Goku into a pulp so forgive me if I don't believe you because something doesn't quite work out here."

"Well, maybe mind-control is a bit of a stretch." 

"Then why did you say mind control?!" she screeched. 

Vegeta winced. "It's very complex, woman."

"I'm a scientist, Vegeta. I'm sure I can work it out."

Vegeta slouched on the laundry hamper and wondered how to phrase it. 

"Babidi releases the inner evil inside and it manifests as… power."  
  
"Spopovich." 

"Yes. Yamu and he were empowered by Babidi, as I'm sure you witnessed at the tournament."

"Oh." Her face was stony.

"So, when I went to Babidi's spaceship-"

"Stop."

"I saw Kakkarot fight. It galled me to see his skill. So I betrayed myself as a likely candidate for the Majin team to Babidi-"

"Stop."

"I had the power I wanted. I challenged Kakkarot. We fought. He lost. I took on Buu and the rest you know."

"No. Why?"

"The power, woman. I told you."

She ripped off the sheets and stalked over to where he sat on the hamper, grabbing him by the chin. She looked him in the eye and saw the untruth.

"You filthy lying bastard."

He grabbed her wrists in a lightning-fast movement and she cried out a little. He was gentler in pulling her hands from his face, but still firm. 

"Alright," he said with unnatural calm. "Why. I hate you, woman. You made me soft and I had to fight it." She tried to pull her hands away but he wouldn't let her. "I felt unworthy here."

"That's why you betrayed me?" she said incredulously. 

"Not _betrayal,_ exactly," he murmured. His eyes widened a little when she somehow slipped into his lap and began molesting his neck.

"Vegeta," she said laughingly, "The day you're soft I'll sleep with Master Roshi. That's ridiculous."

"Woman," he replied sternly, "What the hell are you doing?"  
  


"Let go of my hands. Idiot."

"With pleasure."

"Pleasure's what I've got in mind. Bed, sweetie."

"You're crazy, woman," he said affectionately. He dropped her earring on the spot where her candle used to be and made the most of his newly freed hands. "You really have a few problems."

"Coming from you?" 

"A few minutes ago you were about to kill me. Try, anyway."

"You let your pride get in the way of your better judgement again. You're an idiot, you know, but I forgive you. I'm used to your stupid Saiyan pride. Lunatic. Ooooohh. Aaaaaah."

He smirked a little.

"Ooooh. Well, as I was saying, I'm very proud of you for saving the planet and all that and turn off the lights before I'm ready to kill you again."

They set to it quite rigorously after that, and both of them knew that everything was well again.

- - -


End file.
